I Will Always Choose You
by starbuckfaerie21
Summary: 2x18: The Last Dance Some dialogue taken from said episode.  Summary: The events of the episode…with a twist.


**Disclaimer: **_The Vampire Diaries_belongs to L.J. Smith, The CW & Kevin Williamson.Wish I owned Ian Somerhalder though.

**Pairing**: Damon/Elena

**Spoilers**: 2x18: The Last Dance Some dialogue taken from said episode.

**Summary**: The events of the episode…with a twist.

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the awesome comments and reviews on my last TVD story!

**I Will Always Choose You**

Damon Salvatore stood in the shadowed foyer of his family home, and watched as Stefan tried unsuccessfully to comfort a despondent and grief-stricken Elena. She looked worse than she had at the school, when he's instructed his brother to take her away so he could finish carrying out the plan to stop Klaus. She had been hysterical then, but at least she'd still had the emotional fire that made her uniquely Elena.

As he stared from the foyer into the darkened living room, at her now, it seemed that her sorrow had made her an empty shell of her former self.

He watched as she stared vacantly into space and sat in silence. Stefan offered her a cup in a futile attempt to get her to drink.

"Here, drink this." Stefan whispered.

Elena simply shook her head and didn't even look at him.

"I can't." Her voice was barely audible, but he could hear it perfectly. He didn't think it was possible for so much pain to be conveyed in just two small words.

"Yes, you can." Stefan urged softly but Elena had already forgotten about the drink and switched to another entirely different train of thought.

"This is all my fault." She whispered as she raked her fingers through her long dark hair.

"No Elena, listen to me. This wasn't your fault. Klaus did this." Stefan said this with an emphatic shake of his head, which Damon assumed that his brother had meant to be convincing, but fell short, just like everything else his brother did.

He'd seen enough. He couldn't watch anymore. He had to _do_ something. He took an unnecessary deep breath and sauntered into the living room, wearing what he hoped was an expression of feigned indifference and nonchalance.

He'd barely set foot in the room, and Elena was on her feet, rushing towards him with the familiar fire of anger in her eyes.

_There you are, Elena. I knew you were still in there somewhere._

It took everything he had to suppress a smile.

"What did you do with her? What did you do with Bonnie?"

Her voice became more desperate and breathless with every syllable, and his shot his brother an impatient look.

"Will you calm her down?"

Stefan tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she moved out of his reach, still infuriated and stepped toward him, with her arms raised, as if she'd strike or punch him at the first available opportunity.

"Don't do that! Don't talk about me like I'm not standing right here."

He let her close the distance between them and when she got close enough he met her gaze and held it.

"Calm down." He emphasized each word in a tone that gave her no choice but to obey his command. "You _need_ to listen to me."

She tried to back away from him but he took another step forward so they were even closer than before. Their bodies were almost touching. Elena tried to move her raised arms into another defensive pose, but took hold of her arms in a grip that was firm enough to immobilize her, but not strong enough to hurt her.

"Damon…" Stefan's voice was meant as a warning

Until he'd spoken, they'd both forgotten Stefan's presence. At that moment Stefan's cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen for a moment and then looked back at his brother.

"It's Jeremy…"

That got Elena's attention, "Why would Jeremy be calling you and not me?"

Still caught in Damon's grip she glanced between Stefan and Damon with a deer in the headlights expression and tears still streaming down her face.

Stefan obviously wanted to take the call but he hesitated.

Damon rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to hurt her, Stefan."

Stefan stepped out of the room and disappeared up the stairs.

Damon waited until he was sure his brother was gone before he turned back to Elena.

"You need to listen to me." He repeated as if the interruption hadn't occurred.

"Damon, let me go! I need to know what's going on!" Elena shouted and fought against his grip again.

"I'll tell you what's going on once you're ready to listen, Elena."

Through her anger, frustration, and pain, it was the sound of her name on his lips that seemed to reach her. She stopped struggling and met his ocean blue eyes.

He stood silent for a moment and let her draw an impatient breath.

"Bonnie cast a spell…It was the only way we could stop Klaus. We had to make him believe that Bonnie was dead…"

Before Damon could go on he felt the momentary sting of her hand against his cheek as she slapped him. And for good measure she pounded her fists against his chest.

_Good. Let her be angry. _

As long as she was taking her anger out on him, she wasn't the empty, emotionless, shell of a person that she'd been before.

"You knew? You all knew…Bonnie, Stefan, Jeremy…_you_…"

She paused on the last word, as though his individual dishonesty was the worst kind of betrayal. Her angry words hit him like daggers to the heart

"You all let me think that my _best friend_ was dead… You all knew that she wasn't and you didn't tell _me_…"

"Your reaction had to be genuine. It was the only way we could stop him Elena. We had to make you believe it. We had to make Klaus…"

"I don't give a damn about what Klaus believes…."

Angry tears streamed down her face as she shouted and renewed her efforts to free herself from his grasp.

"Yeah well, maybe you will the next time he tries to kill you! I'm sorry that your feelings got hurt and that you thought your little witch friend was dead. I didn't want to see anything happen to her either…"

Something in his voice let her know that he meant it. His grip suddenly changed from protective, to fiercely possessive, and passionate.

"I didn't want to see anything happen to her either." He repeated his earlier words and she took a breath, about to interrupt him.

"Damon, I…"

He pressed his index finger against her lips to stop the inevitable stream of words that were about to come out of her mouth.

"No, you need to hear this. I didn't want anything to happen to her either. But if it came down to a choice between you and letting Bonnie die…Then I would've gladly let the little witch die."

His voice dropped to a whisper, and she shivered involuntarily as his breath tickled the shell of her ear. "Because I would have chosen you, Elena. I will _always_ choose you."

_Finis_


End file.
